In general, the invention relates to vehicle navigation. More specifically, the invention relates to a method of providing a vehicle with a travel route and in particular, to a method for enabling interruption of communication with the vehicle, and enabling communication to be resumed at a later time.
Current vehicle route instruction generation methods require a known current location of a vehicle as well as a desired destination. Computer algorithms may use these two points to search map databases for the best route and generate a list of maneuvers required to reach the destination. The maneuver list may then be output to a user.
The map databases may change and algorithms to search the databases may improve over time. For convenience, the databases and algorithms may be maintained at a central server. The vehicle""s location and destination may be uploaded to the server, and the route and maneuver list may be computed and transmitted back to the vehicle. Routes that are long or complicated would require the communication channel between the vehicle and server be open for an extended period of time. In such circumstances, this would needlessly tie up the communication channel between the server and other vehicle clients.
It would be desirable, therefore, to provide a method and system that overcomes these and other disadvantages.
One aspect of the invention provides a method for providing route instructions to a mobile vehicle. This method may include establishing communication between a client vehicle and a server and providing the server with the vehicle""s current location and destination. The server may then calculate and store a route for the vehicle to traverse. Next, a number of maneuver instructions associated with the route may be downloaded to the vehicle. Communication between the vehicle and server may then be terminated until the vehicle has traversed a specified portion of the route downloaded to the vehicle. Then communication may be reestablished between the vehicle and server in order to download more maneuver instructions.
Another aspect of the invention provides a method for the client vehicle to provide the server with a client vehicle ID.
Another aspect of the invention provides a method for designating the route stored on the server as being in progress.
Another aspect of the invention provides a system for providing route instructions to a mobile vehicle. This system includes means for establishing and terminating communication between a vehicle and a server. The system also includes means for providing the server with the vehicle""s current location and destination. The system also includes means for determining a route for the vehicle and storing the route on the server. Furthermore, this system includes means for downloading at least one maneuver instruction associated with the route to the vehicle.
Another embodiment of the invention provides a system with means for providing the server with a client vehicle ID. The system also provides means to store the route on the server.
A further aspect of this invention provides a computer usable medium for providing route instructions to a mobile vehicle. This computer usable medium includes computer readable code to receive a current location and destination of a client vehicle at the server, determine a route based on the vehicle""s current location and destination, and receive at least one maneuver associated with the route at the client vehicle. Another aspect of this computer usable medium provides computer readable code to receive a client vehicle ID at the server and store the route associated with the client vehicle ID on the server. Another aspect of this computer usable medium comprises computer readable code to designate the route as in progress.
The foregoing and other features and advantages of the invention will become further apparent from the following detailed description of the presently preferred embodiment, read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The detailed description and drawings are merely illustrative of the invention rather than limiting, the scope of the invention being defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof.